Alabama Security Deposit 60-Day Rule & Forwarding Address
Alabama generally gives landlords 60 days to mail a security-deposit refund or itemized accounting. Learn forwarding-address, deduction and late-mailing rules.
The short answer
Alabama Code § 35-9A-201 generally requires a residential landlord to handle the security-deposit refund and any itemized withholding within 60 days after both termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession. If the landlord keeps any part of the deposit, the statute requires an itemized list of the amounts withheld.
The mailing details matter. A tenant is directed to provide a valid forwarding address in writing. The statute says first-class mailing to that written forwarding address within the 60-day period is sufficient compliance. If no valid forwarding address was provided, the statute supplies a different mailing path. A dispute involving a statement sent to the former rental even though a written forwarding address had already been supplied should therefore be reviewed against the actual address notice, mailing date and statutory text rather than only the day the tenant eventually received the envelope.
Alabama's current deadline is 60 days—not 35 days
Older Alabama materials can still surface a 35-day security-deposit deadline. The Legislature amended § 35-9A-201 in 2014, changing the relevant return and itemization period from 35 days to 60 days. The current framework uses 60 days after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession.
Use the later of the legally relevant events when building the timeline. A physical move-out can occur before the tenancy legally terminates, and a tenancy can terminate before possession is actually delivered. Record the lease-end or other termination date, the date keys or possession were returned, and the date the refund or accounting was mailed before deciding whether the 60-day requirement was met.
What can be withheld from an Alabama security deposit?
Section 35-9A-201 allows security to be applied to accrued rent and damages the landlord suffered because of the tenant's noncompliance with § 35-9A-301, with the amounts itemized in the written notice. Section 35-9A-301 describes tenant duties such as keeping the part of the premises occupied by the tenant reasonably clean and safe, disposing of waste appropriately, using facilities and appliances reasonably, and not deliberately or negligently damaging the premises.
A move-out statement should therefore do more than present a large unexplained balance. For each deduction, compare the claimed condition with the lease, move-in evidence, maintenance requests, move-out photographs, inspection records, invoices or estimates, and the tenant-duty provision being relied upon. Damage caused by a storm, a documented preexisting condition, or a repair issue previously reported to management should not simply be assumed to be tenant-caused because it appears on the final statement.
The itemized accounting is part of the 60-day requirement
If the landlord does not refund the entire deposit, subsection (c) requires an itemized list of amounts withheld within the same 60-day period. Subsection (b) also ties the written itemization to the deposit accounting after termination and possession return.
That makes the contents and date of the accounting important. Preserve the actual statement, every page of any inspection report, the envelope and postmark, portal screenshots, email headers and any refund check or electronic-payment record. A document created internally before day 60 is not the same factual event as proving when the required refund or accounting was actually mailed or otherwise delivered under the statute.
A written forwarding address changes the mailing analysis
Section 35-9A-201(d) directs the tenant, upon vacating, to provide a valid forwarding address in writing for the deposit or itemized accounting. Subsection (e) says the landlord's first-class mailing to the address provided in writing by the tenant within the 60-day period is sufficient compliance.
If no valid forwarding address is provided, subsection (d) says the landlord should mail to the tenant's last known address or, if none, to the rental property. Because the statute distinguishes those situations, keep the exact email, letter, portal message or other writing in which the forwarding address was supplied and proof of when management received it. When an accounting was mailed to the old unit despite a prior written forwarding address, do not decide the outcome from the postmark alone; compare the mailing with the address rule and the complete evidence.
What happens when the refund or accounting is not timely mailed?
Section 35-9A-201(f) states that if the landlord fails to mail a timely refund or accounting within the 60-day period, the landlord shall pay the tenant double the amount of the tenant's original deposit. That is the statutory language, but whether it applies to a particular dispute depends on the correct termination date, possession date, mailing date, address facts and what was actually sent.
Do not reduce a complicated move-out dispute to 'day 61 automatically wins' without checking those predicates. A timely mailing can matter even if delivery occurs later, while a disputed address or incomplete accounting can raise a different issue. Preserve the records before asserting a specific remedy, and consider qualified Alabama legal help when the amount is substantial or collection activity has begun.
Being billed more than the deposit is a separate question
The deposit amount does not necessarily cap all possible claims between landlord and tenant. Subsection (g) says § 35-9A-201 does not preclude either party from recovering other damages to which that party may be entitled. A landlord therefore may assert a balance above the deposit, but the existence of a bill does not itself establish that every charge is valid.
Review each line item independently. Ask what condition or unpaid obligation produced the charge, what evidence shows responsibility, what amount was actually incurred or reasonably claimed, and whether the same condition was already documented before move-out. If a debt is later sent to a collector or reported through a consumer-reporting system, preserve the underlying move-out file rather than assuming the landlord's ledger alone settles the dispute.
The forwarding-address and 90-day unclaimed-deposit rule should not be confused
Section 35-9A-201(d) also says an unclaimed deposit or outstanding refund check may be forfeited after 90 days. That rule is different from the landlord's 60-day refund-and-itemization obligation and should not be used to erase the earlier mailing requirements.
Tenants should provide the forwarding address promptly in writing and cash or otherwise resolve a valid refund check without unnecessary delay. Landlords should keep proof of the address used, the mailing date, returned-mail records and any uncashed check so the 60-day mailing issue and the later unclaimed-funds issue remain separately documented.
Build a move-out file before disputing the charges
Keep the signed lease and addenda, deposit receipt, written forwarding address, proof management received it, termination or nonrenewal notice, key-return or possession record, move-in and move-out photographs, maintenance requests, work orders, inspection reports, the full itemized accounting, invoices or estimates, rent ledger, refund record, envelope and postmark. If a claimed condition had been reported before move-out, place that earlier maintenance record next to the final charge.
Max Rental Tools can help organize a Security Deposit Itemization, Security Deposit Refund Statement, Forwarding Address Request, Move-Out Condition Report, Property Photo Evidence Log and Rent Ledger. These tools organize the record; Alabama Code §§ 35-9A-201 and 35-9A-301 remain the controlling sources for the statewide rules described here.
Common questions
How long does an Alabama landlord have to return a security deposit?
Alabama Code § 35-9A-201 uses a 60-day period after termination of the tenancy and delivery of possession for the refund and any required itemized accounting.
Does Alabama still use a 35-day security-deposit deadline?
No. The Legislature amended § 35-9A-201 in 2014, changing the relevant period from 35 days to 60 days.
Does an Alabama tenant need to give a forwarding address?
Yes. Section 35-9A-201 directs the tenant to provide a valid forwarding address in writing upon vacating. The statute provides a separate mailing path when no valid forwarding address is supplied.
What if the landlord mailed the accounting to the old apartment after receiving a written forwarding address?
Preserve the written forwarding-address notice, proof of receipt, envelope and postmark. Section 35-9A-201 distinguishes mailing to the tenant's written forwarding address from the fallback used when no valid forwarding address was provided, so the actual address and mailing facts matter.
What is Alabama's remedy for failing to timely mail the refund or accounting?
Section 35-9A-201(f) says a landlord who fails to mail a timely refund or accounting within the 60-day period shall pay the tenant double the amount of the tenant's original deposit. Whether that condition is met depends on the actual termination, possession, mailing and address facts.
Can an Alabama landlord claim more than the security deposit?
Potentially. Section 35-9A-201(g) preserves other damages to which either party may be entitled. A balance above the deposit still must be supported by the lease, applicable law and the facts; the final ledger alone does not prove each charge.
Official sources
Alabama Legislature — Code § 35-9A-201 Security Deposits; Prepaid RentAlabama Legislature — Code § 35-9A-301 Tenant DutiesAlabama Legislature — 2014 SB291 / Act 2014-279 Amendment TextContinue your check
Use the state directory for current jurisdiction-specific rules, calculate the proposed increase, then prepare the appropriate rental document only after the legal-rule checks are complete.